Beer flows as Oktoberfest begins in Hohhot

Crowds of people descended on Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region on July 19 in anticipation for the start of the second Oktoberfest, a 16-day German-style beer festival.

Hohhot officials, including Lan Yi, deputy director of the local publicity department, kicked off the festivities by opening the first beer keg.

Beer lovers gathered at the Inner Mongolia International Convention Center, where they swigged beers, devoured sausages, and listened to the German band Take-five.

Oktoberfest is a traditional Bavarian folk festival that has been celebrated in Munich for over 200 years. It is also the largest beer festival in the world.

The festival first came to Hohhot in July 2018, helping promote the Zhaojun Cultural Festival and Inner Mongolia to Europeans, especially Germans. The festival was so successful that it will be held again in 2019 with the addition of circus shows.

This year's festival runs from July 19 to Aug 4.